Istanbul ~ Pope Leo XIV began the second full day of his first Apostolic Journey abroad with a landmark visit to Istanbul's famed Sultan Ahmed Mosque, widely known as the Blue Mosque, marking a continuation of the Vatican's long-running efforts to promote interfaith respect and dialogue.

According to the Holy See Press Office, the Pope experienced the visit“in silence, in a spirit of recollection and attentive listening, with deep respect for the place and for the faith of those who gather there in prayer.”

The Pope was welcomed by Türkiye's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy; Istanbul's provincial mufti, Emrullah Tuncel; and mosque imam Kurra Hafiz Fatih Kaya. Inside, muezzin Musa Aşgın Tunca led him on a brief tour of the historic mosque.

Completed in 1617 during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I, the Blue Mosque is one of Istanbul's most important places of worship. More than 21,000 Iznik ceramic tiles-mostly blue and turquoise-give the mosque its iconic nickname. The structure was built on part of the former Great Palace of Constantinople with the intention of becoming the most significant spiritual centre of the Ottoman Empire. Eight volumes detailing its construction are preserved today in the Topkapi Library.

With Saturday's visit, Pope Leo becomes the third pontiff to step inside the Blue Mosque. Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2006, followed by Pope Francis in 2014. Before Benedict, only Pope John Paul II had ever visited a mosque, during his groundbreaking 2001 visit to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

The Vatican said Pope Leo would observe“a brief minute of silent prayer”, though it did not specify whether the moment took place during the tour.

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